Four indicted over allegations of labor exploitation
Four indicted over allegations of labor exploitationBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterAuthorities have indicted four people for allegedly docking Vietnamese workers half of their monthly wage, including a Vietnamese woman naturalized in Taiwan, Diao Yu-hong (刁予弘), who headed up labor placement companies. Vietnamese workers involved in a labor exploitation case sit in a police station in Taichung in an undated photograph. The Vietnamese workers told prosecutors that they believed they were working legally in Taiwan and did not know Diao’s actions were illegal, Chang said. When they complained about receiving only half of the promised wage, Diao threatened to have them deported, as her company had confiscated their passports and personal papers, Chang said. Prosecutors have requested a severe punishment for Diao over her egregious offenses and human exploitation, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Landis Group eyeing food and beverage sales growth
Landis Group eyeing food and beverage sales growthBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterLandis Taipei Hotel, the flagship property of Landis Hospitality Group (麗緻餐旅集團), is seeking to boost its food and beverage sales this year, in the hope that international travel restrictions might be lifted in the second half of the year, the company said yesterday. “Our food and beverage business has proven to be resilient and recovered quickly from a COVID-19 slump last year, thanks to a strong, loyal clientele and fast adjustments in our operations,” Landis Group business development division assistant general manager Gary Lo (羅明威) said. Last year’s food and beverage revenue remained at 2019 level, and might grow this year, as Taiwanese travel regularly and travel restrictions might be lifted in the fall, Lo said. Landis Hospitality Group managing director Michelle Hsu, left, and Michelin-starred chef Hideki Takayama pose for photographs in Taipei yesterday. The hotel forecasts a 30 percent increase in packaged food sales this year, after a 50 percent rise last year, helped by the low-contact economy, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Cluster infection has same virus strain: CECC
Cluster infection has same virus strain: CECCBy Lin Hui-chin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday announced that a COVID-19 cluster infection at Taoyuan General Hospital shared the same virus strain, allaying concerns over the unidentified source of infection of case No. The cluster infection had affected 15 people, and it has been about two weeks since case No. Taoyuan General Hospital deputy director Wang Wei-chieh thanks the public for their support as the hospital deals wiith a cluster infection. 889’s virus strain could not be fully sequenced, it largely has the same genetic makeup and mutations as other strains tested. While the nation has had four days without local infections, it is still too early to tell whether it has weathered the worst of the cluster infection, Chen said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 28, 2021 15:56 UTC
Wan Hai orders 50,000 containers amid shortage
Wan Hai orders 50,000 containers amid shortageBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterWan Hai Lines Ltd (萬海航運) has purchased 50,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers from China International Marine Containers Ltd (CIMC, 中國國際海運集裝箱) at a cost of US$141.73 million amid a global container shortage, the company said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Monday. The average price of the containers would be US$2,835 per unit, Wan Hai said. The Wan Hai Lines Ltd booth is pictured at the Asia Fruit Logistica trade show in Hong Kong on Sept. 6, 2017. Photo courtesy of Wan Hai Lines LtdMost of the new containers would be 40-foot high-cube containers, one of the most commonly used containers for ocean freight, Su said. Wan Hai owned 66 ships and was chartering 39 ships as of Sept. 1 last year.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Years-old sperm used in farm breeding
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei TimesThe use of advanced equipment and software have greatly enhanced the preservation process and quality of sperm after coming out of cryo storage, he said. The Lanyu pig sperm taken in 2005 was part of a project to preserve all unique indigenous species, Huang said. Research has shown that cryo storage of an animal sperm specimen can, if used on a broader scale, help preserve biodiversity, he added. The institute also presented a new breed of chicken, which is based on a breed of cocks traditionally used for cockfighting, Huang said. Roosters or hen produced from the new breed can be used for breeding or as food, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Poll shows rise in stores selling tobacco to teens
Poll shows rise in stores selling tobacco to teensBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA survey by the Consumers’ Foundation showed that more stores breached regulations banning the sale of tobacco products to teenagers last year, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday. The foundation, which conducted the survey from April to October last year, arranged for its 18-year-old interns to wear senior-high school uniforms and try to buy cigarettes from 660 stores in 22 cities and counties. The stores included supermarkets or hypermarkets, convenience stores, general shops and betel nut stands. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei TimesThe poll showed that 37.1 percent of the stores breached the rules last year, up from 32.3 percent in 2019, HPA Tobacco Control Division official Lu Meng-ying (呂孟穎) said. “The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) stipulates that stores are prohibited from selling tobacco products to people under 18 years old, and may be fined NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 for breaking the law,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Wells, desalination plant to tackle water shortage
Wells, desalination plant to tackle water shortageBUILT IN ADVANCE: The emergency wells would contribute 336,000 tonnes of water daily and the desalination plant 200,000 tonnes, the economics minister saidBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs has deployed 159 emergency wells and created an emergency desalinization plant to tackle a difficult water shortage the nation is facing, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Tseng Wen-sheng (曾文生) said yesterday. By early next month, the emergency wells would be contributing 336,000 tonnes of water daily and the emergency desalinization plant in Hsinchu County would be contributing 200,000 tonnes, he said. The water level in the lake has been falling as a result of supplying water to rice farms in Changhua and Yunlin counties, the Water Resource Agency said. Areas on yellow alert have their water pressure reduced and the public is encouraged to conserve water, while an orange alert entails limiting total water use as well as reducing the water pressure. The emergency wells were dug years in advance, Water Resource Agency Deputy Director-General Wang Yi-feng (王藝峰) said by telephone.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
Majority against US meat with ractopamine: survey
Majority against US meat with ractopamine: surveyDIPLOMACY: Of the polls’ respondents, 67% said they disagreed that the Taiwan-China relationship was more important than Taiwan’s relations with other nationsBy Yang Chun-hui and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe majority of people oppose imports of US meat containing ractopamine, but remain optimistic about Taiwan-US relations, survey results released yesterday by the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation found. Foundation chairman Michael You (游盈隆) designed the questions, and commissioned Focus Survey Research to conduct the survey by telephone. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesOf the respondents, 66.3 percent opposed imports of meat products containing ractopamine, while 28.2 percent approved, the foundation said. However, the survey found that 60 percent of Democratic Progressive Party supporters approved of the imports, while 32 percent did not. The survey also found that 54.3 percent of respondents supported a referendum drive initiated by KMT lawmakers to reinstitute a ban on meat products containing ractopamine, while 36.1 percent did not.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
DGH not to use Chinese-made speed detectors: minister
DGH not to use Chinese-made speed detectors: ministerBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMinister of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday ruled at a ministerial meeting that speed detectors must be accompanied by a signed affidavit that they contain no Chinese-made parts. “Leo” said that speed measurement systems are a “massive surveillance program,” as the systems identify drivers’ license plate numbers and calculate their average speed between two points so that law enforcement can determine whether vehicles are speeding. A traffic speed camera is pictured on a section of Provincial Highway No. Firms would need to furnish customs declarations, merchandise certificates and specification sheets for their detectors, Lin said. Speed detectors that are made in China would be immediately removed, Lin added.
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
To the rescue
“This is a historic moment for Taiwan. Drafting a new constitution is the most important task Taiwanese face,” veteran independence advocate Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏) said at the inaugural event in Taipei. “Although the Democratic Progressive Party is in power, its authority is based on the Republic of China [ROC] Constitution, which has no connection to Taiwan,” said the 95-year-old Koo, a former presidential adviser. “The historic task of drafting a new constitution depends on efforts by all Taiwanese,” Koo said. “A constitution for a sovereign, independent TaiwanBy Jason Pan
Source:Taipei Times
January 26, 2021 15:56 UTC
CECC details sites visited by cases 889, 890
CECC details sites visited by cases 889, 890PRECAUTION: The center urged people who have visited these places to practice self-health management and see a doctor if they feel sickBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday released the names of five public spaces that two previously confirmed COVID-19 cases had visited from Tuesday last week to Saturday. “People who have visited these places at about the same time should practice self-health management,” Chen said. A worker sprays disinfectant outside the Bade District Civil Affairs Office in Taoyaun yesterday. Photo: Chen En-huei, Taipei TimesOn Sunday, Chen also published a more specific time frame for when a previously confirmed patient (case No. 882) who visited Taoyuan’s Jhongping Night Market (仲平黃昏市場) last week — between 4:40pm and 5:10pm on Tuesday, and between 4pm and 4:20pm on Wednesday.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Virus Outbreak: Nearly 3,000 in home isolation
Fifteen people have so far tested positive in the cluster infection. The first case in the cluster (case No. Chen on Sunday evening said that more than 5,000 people linked to the hospital cluster are expected to be put in isolation. Chen said the number of people placed under home isolation is expected to increase, as contact tracing is still being conducted. People under isolation, quarantine or self-health management linked to the hospital cluster are encouraged to consult with emergency doctors through the CECC’s mobile app launched on Sunday if they feel discomfort, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Group calls for better oversight of school meals
Group calls for better oversight of school mealsENOUGH NUTRITION? Members of the National Alliance of Presidents of Parents’ Associations hold a news conference in Taipei yesterday. This is because part of the costs are spent on labor, rent, utilities and equipment, it said. The alliance suggested drafting a law dedicated to the regulation of school lunch programs to introduce national standards and guarantee food safety. More food-safety officials and nutritionists are also needed at schools to supervise the quality of the ingredients and the preparation of meals, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
NSPO names its new director-general
NSPO names its new director-generalPASSION FOR ROCKETS: As head of the NSPO, Gou Chong-sin is to focus on building a rocket launch site. NSPO Director-General Lin Chun-liang (林俊良), who assumed office on Feb. 1, 2018, has said that he plans to return to his research position at National Chung Hsing University next month. Taiwan should be able to launch satellites on its own, instead of relying on foreign rocket suppliers, Gou has said. Gou would make great contributions, with his outstanding research achievements and his understanding of the “ecology” of the NSPO, he added. Before Gou’s appointment, NSPO Deputy Director-General Yu Shiann-jen (余憲政) is to serve as acting head.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC
Gudeng forecasts record revenue growth this year
Gudeng forecasts record revenue growth this yearBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporter, in TainanGudeng Precision Industrial Co Ltd (家登), the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pods to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), yesterday forecast record, double-digit percentage revenue growth for this year. Gudeng’s comments came after TSMC on Jan. 14 forecast quarterly revenue growth of up to 2.52 percent, bucking a seasonal lull in the January-to-March quarter. Gudeng also supplies pods to Intel Corp.EUV pods are to make up about 60 percent of its wafer pods, up from 50 percent last year, Chiu said. Gudeng expects a double-digit percentage increase in revenue this year from NT$2.5 billion (US$88.06 million) last year, as its major customer accelerates production of 5-nanometer chips, which require more EUV pods than 7-nanometer production. “Order visibility from Chinese customers is stronger in the second quarter,” Gudeng said in a statement.
Source:Taipei Times
January 25, 2021 15:56 UTC